“A tie never feels right”: CFL commissioner Johnston explains rule change thinking

CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston has discussed proposed rule changes that include eliminating ties while maintaining current late-half timing rules.

Speaking with TSN’s Farhan Lalji, Johnston said ties “leave a bad taste” and explained how the changes could shape the future of the league.

The CFL’s rule changes announced last September received unanimous and enthusiastic approval from the league’s board of governors, commissioner Stewart Johnston has confirmed. He said the focus remains on modernizing the game while preserving its distinctly Canadian identity, including three downs and the Canadian ratio.

In his first year as commissioner, Johnston unveiled a series of structural changes scheduled to be introduced over the next two seasons. Beginning in 2026, the league will eliminate the rouge on missed field goals and move to a 35-second running play clock. Further changes will follow in 2027, including relocating the goal posts to the back of the end zone, reducing the end zone to 15 yards, shortening the field to 100 yards, and removing the traditional 55-yard line.

The league did not consult general managers, coaches, or players before announcing the changes, citing concerns that such sweeping proposals would stall in prolonged debate. This week’s winter meetings in Calgary marked the first gathering of the rules committee since the announcement.

Johnston said he encountered no resistance to the proposals and received no alternative research challenging the league’s findings. He added that the CFL’s football operations department analyzed decades of play-by-play data to support the changes.

The league projects the 2027 adjustments will lead to 10 percent more end zone completions and roughly 60 additional touchdowns per season, though the underlying data has not been publicly released. While some coaches have questioned those figures, Johnston defended the projections, stressing that the impact must be assessed collectively rather than by isolating individual changes.

Despite uncertainty around the projections, Johnston indicated the league has no intention of reversing course even if immediate results fall short. He emphasized that multiple seasons will be required to properly evaluate trends.

The rules committee did recommend keeping the existing 20-second play clock within the final three minutes of each half to maintain late-game drama, but otherwise did not challenge the board’s direction. The broader structural changes are expected to proceed as planned.